Using Maurice Sendack’s classic picture book as a starting point, unique filmmaker Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) has made a breath-taking, thoughtful, fantastical film about childhood. After Max (Max Records, The Brothers Bloom) argues with his mom (Catherine Keener) he retreats to a neighbor’s sailboat and is off. On his adventure he meets a community of wild things (James Gandolfini, Forest Whitaker, Catherine O’Hara, Paul Dano) who also like to rumpus and decide Max should be their king. After accepting, Max realizes it is not as easy as he thought keeping everyone happy.